New York Knicks center Enes Kanter says he will not travel to London for his side's upcoming NBA game with the Washington Wizards because he is fearful of being assassinated for his views on the Turkish government.

Kanter's absence from the trip was explained by the Knicks organization as being due to a visa issue, though the player's recent comments appear to dispute this.

The Turk is an outspoken critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and has previously been detained in Romania after Turkish authorities cancelled his passport - a move which the player says was in direct response to comments made about the Turkish political system.

Kanter, who has referred to Erdogan as a "bad, bad man" and a "dictator," was forced to abandon the plans to travel to Romania in 2017 and returned to the US via London after his documentation was cancelled by the issuing state.

Enes Kanter says he’s not going to London with Knicks because he fears for his life due to “that freaking lunatic, the Turkish president. There’s a chance that I can get killed out there.” pic.twitter.com/NvRDSHWB4V